“Man-made monsters capable of growth, is it… Well, it’s true that they possess more mana than usual, but other than that, there’s nothing that distinguishes them apart from normal humans.”

Tina mused.

“Tina-sama, you weren’t aware of their existence too?”

Kikyou asked.

“Hero Takato-sama once consulted Haruto-sama because he wished to increase the number of his subordinates. They were probably created during that time. However, neither Haruto-sama nor I had ever seen an Automata in the flesh.”

Takato was absolutely scared that Haruto would get angry at him if he tried to do something arbitrarily. Well, there’s no helping it. He had been making fun of Haruto as a useless trash of a Hero who couldn’t do anything except that ‘Guardian’ skill of his, and yet just one punch from that guy sent Takato on the verge of death.

Thus, Takato made sure to take Haruto’s advice first whenever he wanted to do something.

That also applied when he was about to return home after defeating the Demon King.

“They must’ve waited all this time, it seems.”

“Waited? For what reason?”

“They must’ve waited for the return of their master. They have their own will and they also strive to become strong, but the purpose of their existence was to obey their master’s will. They experience the utmost happiness when they fulfill their master’s wish.”

“A-And that master, don’t tell me —”

“It’s you, Tina-sama. They also obey Halt-sama as their master, perhaps because he was reincarnated.”

Kikyou already knew that Halt already came to this world before, and that he was reincarnated. Halt already told the truth about his origin to everyone in the Ernol family. Not only that, Kikyou also possessed the ability to read the minds of other people, as well as even the past that they themselves had long forgotten, by simply touching them.

Kikyou had been sealed by her daughter Youko a hundred years prior to the creation of the Automata. After Halt revived and unsealed her a few years ago, she had focused on gathering information from around the world using her ability to read people’s minds. It was during then that she discovered the existence of the artificial monsters created by the Sage Kana.

By the way, Youko and Kikyou were dedicated to intel-gathering because they believed that it was their role to crush the underworld society that could possibly become a threat to Halt.

Indeed, Kikyou and Youko’s ability was indispensable and well-suited to tasks such as dealing with dark guilds and assassins from the criminal societies of the underworld. These women could see through lies and deceptions, and they never tolerate betrayals. The Nine-tailed Fox mother and daughter significantly reshaped the dynamics of the underworld society of this world thanks to their mind-control magic as well as their high combat abilities.

“Around a hundred Automatas live in the village where these kids came from. The strongest among them is capable enough to defeat a dragon.”

Majority of the Automata perished in the fight against the monsters until Takato and Haruto finally defeated the Demon King, and with his demise, their roles also ended.

The surviving Automata gathered together and created a village of their own in a corner of the continent. They lived there while waiting for the return of their master.

“I didn’t know that artificially created monsters can become powerful to that extent.”

“The second generations are that powerful, so I believe these third generation kids can potentially become even stronger than them.”

“Eh”

“This might be a little too late to mull over, but they are an existence that possesses their own will. Well, they did feel ecstatic that they obeyed Tina-sama’s orders, but… they seem a bit pitiful in that state, so can you make them a bit more comfortable, perhaps?”

Keith was about to slash at Kikyou when Tina commanded him to stop, so he was rooted to the spot while still in an awkward position.

“Ah! Y-You’re right. Erm… P-Please stand.”

“Yes!”

Keith energetically jumped to his feet.

His face and clothes were covered in mud after diving face-first into the slightly muddy ground after Tina released him. Despite that, Keith eagerly stared at Tina with sparkling eyes, seemingly unbothered at the state he was in.

“Sorry about that. You can be at ease, okay?”

“Yes! I’m fine!! I don’t know why, but I’m very happy when the Lady commands me!”

“M-May I also go there too?”

Aria thought it would be okay to talk now since Keith and Tina started conversing, so she also request that.

“…You may.”

“Thank you!”

Aria dashed towards them and stood beside Keith. Both of them gazed at Tina expectantly.

Tina had been living her life devotedly to Halt, and now, people who sincerely wish to do anything for her appeared. She was used to devoting herself to others, but now that it was her turn to be devoted to, she felt a bit troubled.

Just when she was mulling over what to do with these kids, a teleportation portal circle opened on a spot a little further from where they stood.

“Sorry for the wait! I brought the towels and change of clothes — eh, who are these kids?”

Halt returned.

“My name is Keith!”

“I am Aria!”

The Automata recognized Halt as their master, too.

Actually, Takato provided the majority of the mana that Kana needed when she created the Automata. Back then, Takato already held a deep unconscious conviction that he had to be obedient to Haruto no matter what.

Perhaps his subconscious mind influenced the making of the Automata, because they regarded Haruto as their Grand Master, an existence that was greater than even Kana, their creator.

For some reason, Keith and Aria recognized Haruto and Halt as the same person. Thus, Halt was someone that they had to absolutely obey no matter what.

“These children are the adventurers who came here to subjugate this concubine…”

“Huh?”

“But they seem to listen to me well.”

“…Really?”

“Yes!”

“That’s right!”

“I don’t really know what’s going on, but you’re not our enemy then?”

“We’re not enemies!”

“Hmmm. Then that’s fine.”

Halt didn’t understand the current situation, but since Tina and Kikyou didn’t regard the two as someone dangerous, he decided to stop prying further.

“Hey, Keith-kun? You’re pretty dirty. I prepared some towels, so why don’t we take a bath in that hot spring over there?”

“Yes. Please allow me to join you.”

“C-Can I join you too?”

“Ah, sorry, Aria can’t. We’ll be going over there, so you go with Tina, okay.”

There were several hot springs out here, and some can also be found on the other side of a rocky area a little distance away. Halt moved over there with Keith.

“So only Keith is allowed… How nice…”

Aria muttered as she watched Halt and Keith’s backs as they moved away.

“Yes yes, girls should go this way —”

“Huh? Then Keith should be with us too.”

“Eh?”

“Eh”

Automata are beings that absolutely obey whatever their master wishes.

Even if it’s an order to ‘enter the hotsprings together’.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep